Winter Containers

Cold winter containers...we just don't see enough of them.  It seems that when autumn rolls around everyone races outside to rake up the leaves, stack wood (hmm...I might be alone on that one)  and prepare for the long winter as hermits.  Yes, hermits we might be, but do we really need to give up the beauty of our clever, colorful pot creations just because the temperature drops?  I say NO, it is never too cold for containers. There is no need to retire your pots to the shed for the winter, fill them with evergreens, clever cuttings, bamboos, pinecones, cinnamon, berries, balls and any other assortment of texture and bright colors. Fine Gardening has an excellent article about cold-hardy plants and shows us how to take advantage of all four seasons. Check it out!    

I love looking at before and after pictures of yards and gardens, for they boost my confidence and renew my excitement in my own yard.  Martha Stewart Living magazine spoke to my soul one day, which lead to clever planning, shrewd negotiating, hard work and a successful outcome.    

A couple of years ago I was flipping through Martha Stewart Living and read a “season by season” article on Brandywine Cottage describing how to create both a spring and summer garden within the same area.  What caught my eye was that the picture was of a hillside that looked very similar to a hillside in my back yard.  Well, at that time, this area was covered in evil periwinkle, which is an excellent safe haven for cat size rats and was home to a variety of spiders, large and small, and if encountered, would most surely cause a panic attack.  Hence, after seeing this article my sense of encouragement for transformation of this area was heightened, I had renewed enthusiasm to tackle my invasive periwinkle, a task not be taken lightly.  This truly was an all or nothing commitment. 

Above is the spring garden at Brandywine Cottage and below is the summer garden.  Amazing, these shots were taken at the same angle.  I couldn't find the pictures online, so I had to take them with my camera, amature.  These were from Martha Stewart Living  April 2010 issue.

Next step…get hubby on board.  I sat the magazine on the counter for weeks, in an area that could not be avoided.  Yes, he would somehow get the hint that this was going to happen even though it was a big project that definitely didn’t come for free.  So how do I get him to see the vision and on my time frame?  Well, I love to admit that it generally doesn’t take long for him to jump on board, he was hope to discussion!  Unbelievably enough, there was a knock on our door from someone soliciting yard maintenance, which my husband answered, strange in itself, and he took him straight to the back yard and put him to work.  By the next day I had a blank canvas and my vision was on its way to reality.

Below are my before pictures, some of which are pretty pathetic. 

With challenge one and two accomplished, thanks to hubby and handyman, I’m ready to tackle challenge three...how do I eradicate the periwinkle completely and who is going to pay for the landscaping.  Ok, the real question is how do I spread out the cost of "improvements" so I can eliminate any chance of sticker shock.  Can I first stress how important it is to think in terms of divide and conquer when it comes to gardening?  Most plants spread, so why not share, it saves money and plants are always so much more enjoyable when they are free. 

Once an invasive vine has been removed it is important to stay on top of the straggling roots that sprout up, in hopes of regaining possession of the garden.  Round up certainly is a disappointment, I can't tell you how much money I have wasted on that and similar products. Threfore, every time I noticed a brave new growth I would dig out the roots, it took me only one year to be liberated of the obnoxious periwinkle. 

What I was left to work with was beautiful black dirt, a wonderful rock wall surrounding the area and a cluster of oak trees gathered within, I was finally ready to have some fun.  I first added the rock stairway up the middle of the garden, which turned out great, and was relatively simple to construct.  I then planted four large hostas and filled in with other smaller hastas, hellebore, bulbs, etc.  I was very excited for the next year to arrive so I could compare my spring and summer garden to that of Brandywine Cottage.  Check it out, this is the second year after inspiration became reality.

My Garden - Summer

My Garden - Spring

My Garden - Spring

Fall Berries

Along with the chilly air, Autumn brings a spectacular array of berries, leaves and fruits, full of color, shades and textures.  I love the mixture of berries mingled with an assortment of shrubs, vines, and trees, creating a marvelous arrangement, an excellent way to welcome in the change of season. 

As I was driving, my eye was drawn to a Scarlet Firethorn growing in a vacant field, most likely the last bit of evidence of an old farm home.  This shrub had become intertwined with another, displaying a magnificent contrast of brilliant orange berries with florescent lime green leaves.  Scarlet Firethorn is a common shrub and is generally used for borders, due to its height. Typically, this shrub can be spotted in yards of older homes with outdated landscaping, patiently waiting for new owners. 

My FAVORITE shrub, currently, is the Black Lace Leaf Elderberry (Sambucus).   Within the last few years this shrub has increased in popularity and prevalence, mainly due to its unique black lacey leaves, making it an excellent accent shrub or focal point.  Throughout the spring season it produces large pink flowers that look amazing against the blackish purple leaves, whereas in the fall this shrub becomes accented with little black berries that are a great snack for the birds. The Elderberry shrubs are fairly hardy, grow rather quickly, incredibly versatile and its uses are endless.  I admit, I went a little overboard with Elderberry in my yard, thus leading to subtle hints from my husband that I should consider other shrubs for additional variety.

Below is a Black Lace Leaf in bloom, unfortunately not my own.

http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/3037/black-lace-elderberry.ph

Until now I have actually never paid much attention to the berries in my yard.  However, once fall made its entrance, I started to notice the numerous varieties of plants and shrubs that produce berries…they are everywhere.  Growing on my fence in my back yard is Virginia Creeper.  I know this vine can be somewhat abnoxious, as a lot of vines are, nevertheless, it serves as a wonderful cover for my not so attractive fence, and is stunning when the leaves turn bright red, creating a brilliant canvas for the little purple berries speckled throughout.

Check out these grapes my husband planted along our back fence, which was, in my opinion, a less than ideal location.  However, these grapes have thrived, growing upward into a tree, intertwining its deep purple fruit with bright red berries, what a wonderful partnership! 

Shrubs, vines and plants that produce berries have qualities that make them appealing for all landscapes by way of adding color to your late season garden, with the added bonus of each berry giving a little splash of zing for a finishing touch.

Planting Bulbs

Can I tell you that planting bulbs is not one of my favorite garden activities.  However, it definately is worth the work when spring comes around.  There are a couple of reasons this is at the bottom of the list of favorite garden activities:


First...
In my ideal garden, I would have the perfect placement for all of my bulbs.  However, for the life of me, I can't remember (in the fall) where all of my bulbs are located in my flower beds.  So, when I start my fall bulb planting, I'm not quite sure where to place my newly purchased bulbs.  When I am ready to take on this feat, I try to push my frustration of disturbing the peace of my previously planted bulbs to the back of my mind and go in with my head held high, confident that all will look great in the spring...even though I will mutiliate a few innocent bulbs along the way.

flower-garden-bulbs.com

Second...
Last year I spent about 2 hours digging with a trowel, placing bulbs in the ground throughout a large garden area.  When I had completed this task, I walked away with an intense arm ache that lasted for two days.  Let me tell you that ibuprophin only skimmed the surface and I was not looking forward to another year of bulb planting!


Finally...
the answer to my prayers.  As I was flipping through Better Homes and Gardens magazine  I noticed an ad for The G&H Blub EZ Auger.  This amazing little device easily attaches to your power drill and drills holes for an individual bulb.  I found this auger on Amazon for about $19, Sears and other websites appear to be in a range of $20 to $35, give or take.

http://www.amazon.com/Yard-Butler-RP-3-24-Inch-Planter/dp/B000S61YO2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318306032&sr=8-1

johnnyseeds.com

OK, so possibly these bulb augers have been out for quite a while, but they are new to my world and are definately a wise purchase in my book. 

Alas, the fruits of our labors.  Spring is so full of vibrant color and renewed energy.  After a long hard winter it is difficult not to love spring.  This picture was taken in Holland.  "Keukenhof Gardens and its surrounding bulb fields have been the most exciting and colorful spring attraction in Holland. In the last fifty years, millions of visitors, both from Holland and abroad, have discovered that springtime in the Keukenhof offers an exuberant feast for the eyes."

igougo.com